Jubilee display not ‘made in Britain’

As I strolled up the Parade I noticed the display in the ‘Laura Ashley’ shop window. There were lots of little Union Jacks and a sign saying ‘Celebrate Britain’. Laura Ashley always seemed to conjure up images of English country cottages and English country houses so in I went to browse through the ‘Celebrate Britain’ display.

There were mugs, cake stands,artificial mini-plants in pots and other ‘Britishy-type’ items. Out of curiosity I checked their countries of manufacture. Not one item I looked at was made in Britain! China, India, Thailand...yes, but not Britain!

So much for the much-trumpeted marketing rubbish about ‘Celebrate Britain’. Such companies would appear to be happy to cynically use people’s sense of patriotism and ‘proud to be British’ feelings at this time to persuade and manipulate them into buying stuff made overseas then have the cheek to hang the British flag in their window! - R. Grenville, via email.